Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Rabbi Eliyahu is a Bad Person

Reform and Conservative synagogues reek of hell [Gehinom] and a Jew should not even come near their entrance, former Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel Mordechai Eliyahu said last week.

"Once I was invited to be the sandak (godfather) at a brit in a three-story building," recounted Eliyahu in his weekly flyer called Kol Tzofayich, which discusses various halachic issues.

"On the first story was a Reform temple, on the second floor was a Conservative synagogue and on the third floor was an Orthodox synagogue where I was invited.

"I wondered how I would manage to pass by those two synagogues that reek of hell. I asked if there was a way of detouring those two entrances and I was told that there was a kitchen through which it was possible to reach the third floor. I announced that I would not go up any other way besides through the kitchen so as to avoid passing by those prohibited synagogues."

I don't have words for such hate. I have friends from across the religiousspectrum. We disagree upon many issues (who is a Jew, who can be a rabbi, who makes the best kuggle) but we are civil. Rabbi Eliyahu needs to stop using such causeless and blameless hatred.

As a rabbi he should be teaching the masses about his message of Judaism. He should not be spreading sinat chinam. This is sickening. I showed this to a friend today and she said "really makes you want to go to Israel." Clearly she was being sarcastic. Why would anyone want to live in a place where your own brothers call you the spawn of hell?

I don't know where he gets the chuzpah to say such things. But the Conservative Movement is taking him to court...lets see if that helps.

This is not just offensive alieanating to Jews involved with liberal Jewish movements; this is offensive to those of us who are gleefully intolerant but still respect Liberal Jews and select Liberal Jewish clergy as inspiring leaders in many ways. There are many Liberal Jewish clergy I respect on a personal and even spiritual level even if I personally prefer a traditional synagogue without all this egalitarian narishkeit.

But I just want to be clear that bitter Ashkenazi apikorsim (heretics) are NOT represented by ultra-Orthodox sephardic rabbis.

Fighting for Pluralism

JIB Finalist

Starting Rant

Well I am now writing one of these. I am a Reform Jew. Proud of that. I am a twenty something. Proud of that as well. I am not however, a "non-denomonational-post-
congregational-wiser-than-my-elders" type. Proud of that as well.